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| Vehicle owners violate laws with impunity | | | Early Times Special
JAMMU, August 19: There has been a great deal in checking shady elements in privileged disguise but innovation seems to have its way. Take the case: A white gypsy is approaching from a distance and on the front is written ‘POLICE’. It passes off the check point. Look at it closely: it is a private gypsy with ‘POLITE’ etched on its front. Looks can be deceptive.
The number of vehicles on the roads everywhere, particularly in Jammu city, has been growing at a very fast pace. Thousands of vehicles of all descriptions are sold in the city every month and they are now clogging the roads.
Try reaching Satwari Chowk from Vikram Chowk a little after noon when the Presentation Convent is closing for the day. Utter chaos prevail on the road as hundreds of vehicles get lined up for picking up the children heading home.
Among these vehicles, many are obviously official vehicles, white Gypsy jeeps, white Ambassador cars, blue and white painted Mahindra jeeps. These vehicles often carry the legend ``J&K Govt’’ written prominently on them, in the front, on sides and sometimes even on the rear.
A good number of Gypsy jeeps are driven by policemen, both in civil dress and uniforms. Often, these jeeps do not carry any registration number. Many of these vehicles have red flashing beacon atop them even when no VIP or dignitary is seated within.
This is a clear violation of the law as the red flashlight is allowed only for senior officials and dignitaries. This misuse of official vehicles is something that leaves a bad impression on the minds of the children.
It apparently is a clear message to them that official vehicles can be used for personal requirements. If vehicles can be used thus for personal comfort, so can be official items like telephones, internet connections, personnel security guards etc.
Let us recall the sequence of events leading up to the attack on Parliament some years ago. The terrorists had gained access into the premises by faking as VIPs as they were driving a white Ambassador car with a red beacon fitted on top.
Since J&K is most seriously affected by terrorism, the misuse of red beacons in an unauthorized manner is something that needs to be stopped immediately.
The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, is the basic law of the land governing the use of vehicles. Under the MV Act, the authorities have been given the powers to frame rules for smooth functioning of vehicular traffic on the roads.
It provides for registration of the vehicles and gives exact directions as to what constitutes correct registration. The MV Act also defines the punishment for failure to get the vehicles registered.
The relevant section of the MV Act which deals with provisions pertaining to the failure to get a vehicle duly registered is Section 192. Under this Section, the quantum of punishment, both in monetary terms and imprisonment etc is provided.
It provides for a fine up to Rs 5,000 for driving an unregistered vehicle on the road in the first instance. The minimum fine that has to be imposed under this Section is Rs 2,000 with a warning to the offender to get the vehicle registered immediately.
If the owner fails to get the vehicle duly registered and is again caught by the authorities, the punishment is a fine of Rs 10,000 and the minimum fine for repetition of the offence is Rs 5,000. Under the same Section, there is also a provision of imprisonment up to one year for failing to get the registration done.
The question that one needs to ask here is whether anyone has ever been imprisoned, till date, for being caught driving an unregistered vehicle. Senior traffic police officials readily admitted that this provision has never been invoked.
They said a large number of vehicles are plying without due registration and the owners often do not get their vehicles registered to avoid paying fees. For Maruti cars, the registration fee is Rs 6,500 and for Scorpio etc, the fee can be Rs 25,000, inclusive of the road tax, according to agents who facilitate registration, licensing etc.
The vehicles are given temporary registration numbers which are valid for one month, they pointed out. Within this period, the owners should deposit registration fees to the RTO and get permanent registration.
Vehicles carrying numbers like JMU G 1150, S 0000 (and not JK 02 S 0000) ply merrily on the city roads. Vehicles having SASANS, Singhs, Sharmas or Veer Bhogya Vasundhara on the number plate, instead of the vehicle number, written on them are also fairly common.
Neither the MVD officials from the RTO office nor the traffic police have been targeting these vehicles to follow the law or the rules. Else, the government could have earned crores of rupees.
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